Groups and the limited pluralism of the set-piece consultation

Set-piece consultations, through which government invites groups and individuals to comment on proposed legislation, codes of practice, guidance or some other measures, are a common feature of British policy-making, yet we know remarkably little about them. Above all, we do not know why anyone should respond to them when the chances of changing policy appear remote. This research note reports a survey of over 300 individuals in organisations that responded to government consultation requests and explores a range of hypotheses seeking to explain participation in set-piece consultations, including those relating to the role of membership, the ‘outsider’ status of the organisation and the role of the set-piece consultation in wider lobbying campaigns. The evidence suggests that set-piece consultations are more fruitfully viewed as distinctive forms of consultation in which respondents believe they have a chance of shaping some kinds of issues but not the policy itself.